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District Man Pleads Guilty To Prostituting And Sexually Abusing 15 Year-Old Victim-Defendant Lured Teenager From Seattle To Work As Prostitute-

WASHINGTON – Jason Whren, 33, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to charges of first-degree sexual abuse of a child and pandering of a minor for sexually abusing and prostituting a 15-year-old girl, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

Whren pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz scheduled sentencing for June 11, 2014. Whren faces a potential sentence of life in prison without the possibility of release, as well as a fine of up to $250,000. In addition to prison time, he will be required to register as a sex offender for ten years.

According to the government’s evidence, Whren contacted the victim on Facebook and began to develop a relationship with her over the telephone and internet. After sending the victim numerous text messages that contained sexually explicit pictures of himself, Whren was able to entice the victim to travel from Seattle to Washington, D.C. in December 2012.

Upon her arrival in Washington, D.C., the defendant immediately engaged in intercourse and other sexual activities with the victim. He then began prostituting the teenager, forcing her to walk the streets to find clients, as well as compelling her to respond to illicit Internet advertisements that he posted. The activities took place between Dec. 1, 2012 and Dec. 5, 2012 in Northeast Washington. Whren’s crimes were ultimately discovered by undercover officers conducting an operation to locate child prostitutes in the District of Columbia.

In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work performed by those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Narcotics and Special Investigation Division, Human Trafficking Unit. He also praised those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist D’Yvonne Key, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Danny Nguyen and Mervin A. Bourne, Jr., who investigated and prosecuted the matter.